Showing posts with label Clay(Rosondra). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clay(Rosondra). Show all posts

Sunday, 8 May 2011

FILICIDE: California: Rosondra Clay convicted of starving son gets probation


VICTORVILLE • A Victorville mother convicted of starving her disabled son to death got off with the 359 days she served while awaiting trial because evidence showed Child Protective Services repeatedly told her the victim was doing fine.
JAMES QUIGG, DAILY PRESS
Rosondra Clay walks into the courtroom for her sentencing hearing Thursday morning. Clay was given a suspended 4 year sentence, and five years of supervised probation for involuntary manslaughter of her disabled son.

Victorville Superior Court Judge Jules Fleuret put Rosondra Marie Clay, 30, on five-year supervised probation for involuntary manslaughter, following the plea agreement and a probation officer’s recommendation.
Clay, who was originally charged with the murder of 5-year-old Kevin Baldwin, accepted the prosecution’s offer and pleaded guilty to the lesser charge on April 2.
After postponing the sentencing for a week to review facts of the case, Fleuret said Thursday the plea agreement was appropriate.
Fleuret said Clay didn’t intend to kill Baldwin, who weighed just 15 pounds when he died from severe malnutrition in July 2008.
Baldwin had severe spastic cerebral palsy and no muscular control. It was difficult to feed the child because he had no control over his tongue, said David Sanders, Clay’s attorney. Because of Baldwin’s medical condition, the family was receiving assistance from various county agencies.
Every time San Bernardino County CPS agents met with Clay, they concluded that Baldwin and Clay’s other children were doing fine, Fleuret said. When Clay pointed out Baldwin was not gaining weight, CPS didn’t take any action, Fleuret said.
The judge said CPS reported Clay had taken good care of Baldwin. Just 14 days before the victim died, CPS conducted an office visit and determined the child looked fine. And three days before the death, CPS agents visited Clay’s house and allowed the child to stay with the mother.
“My client might have made some mistakes, but CPS did not provide her the support she should have been able to rely on,” Sanders said.
Spokespersons for the CPS and county could not immediately be reached for comment.
Sanders said Clay will be able to reunite with her three children, including a baby she had had right before her arrest.
Clay was scheduled to be released Thursday evening after serving 359 days in jail since her arrest. If she violates her probation terms, she could be sentenced to an aggravated term of four years in prison.
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/son-27537-starving-convicted.html

Sunday, 3 April 2011

FILICIDE: California: Rosondra Marie Clay killed 5 year old disabled son

April 11 2011
VICTORVILLE (AP) —  A mother accused of neglecting and starving her disabled son pleaded guilty Friday to involuntary manslaughter in the boy’s death and will be sentenced to time already served, the Victorville Daily Press reported.
Rosondra Marie Clay, 30, accepted an offer to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of 5-year-old Kevin Baldwin and Superior Court Judge Jules Fleuret accepted the plea deal Friday, the newspaper reported.
Clay has already served ten months in jail and will be released April 29 when she is sentenced to eleven months’ time served.
Baldwin had cerebral palsy and weighed just 15 pounds when he died from severe malnutrition at the age of 5 in July 2008.
“It’s one of those cases, there was strong evidence she wasn’t guilty of anything,” Deputy Public Defender David Sanders, Clay’s attorney told the newspaper. “At the same time, it’s one of those cases if you had gone to trial, because it’s an emotional case, a jury could have found her guilty of second-degree murder.”
Clay had been charged with murder and could have faced up to 25 years to life in prison, if convicted.
Sanders said Child Protective Services agents visited their house three days before the child’s death and found nothing wrong with him.
Baldwin had severe spastic cerebral palsy and he had no muscular control, Sanders told the newspaper. It was difficult to feed the child because he had no control over his tongue, Sanders said.
Because of Baldwin’s medical condition, he was receiving assistance from various county agencies.
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2011/04/01/mom-accused-of-manslaughter-in-disabled-sons-death-gets-sentenced-to-time-served/